Karlsson Johan O, Parodi Alejandro, van Zanten Hannah H E, Hansson Per-Anders, Röös Elin
Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Animal Production Systems Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Nat Food. 2021 Jan;2(1):38-46. doi: 10.1038/s43016-020-00203-7. Epub 2020 Dec 21.
The European Union (EU) livestock sector relies on imported soybean as a feed source, but feeding soybean to animals leads to a loss of macronutrients compared to direct human consumption, and soybean production is associated with deforestation. Here we show that 75-82% of current EU animal fat and protein production could be sustained without soybean imports while avoiding increased use of cropland for feed production within the EU. Reduced soybean feed exports, mainly from South America, would free up 11-14 million hectares outside the EU, but indirect land-use changes would increase demand for palm oil produced in southeast Asia. Avoiding imported soybean feeds would result in reduced EU pork and poultry production; increased plant-based food consumption would be required to maintain the supply of essential nutrients for human diets. Optimizing livestock production to overcome dependency on imported soybean feed can reduce cropland demand in deforestation-prone areas while supporting the nutritional requirements of EU diets-but will require progressive policies targeting all aspects of the food system.
欧盟的畜牧业依赖进口大豆作为饲料来源，但与直接供人类食用相比，用大豆喂养动物会导致大量营养素的损失，并且大豆生产与森林砍伐有关。我们在此表明，在不进口大豆的情况下，欧盟目前75%至82%的动物脂肪和蛋白质产量能够得以维持，同时避免在欧盟境内增加用于饲料生产的农田使用量。主要来自南美洲的大豆饲料出口减少，将在欧盟以外腾出1100万至1400万公顷土地，但间接土地利用变化会增加对东南亚生产的棕榈油的需求。避免进口大豆饲料将导致欧盟猪肉和家禽产量下降；需要增加植物性食品的消费量，以维持人类饮食中必需营养素的供应。优化畜牧业生产以克服对进口大豆饲料的依赖，可以减少森林砍伐易发地区的农田需求，同时满足欧盟饮食的营养需求，但这需要针对食品系统各个方面的渐进政策。
